Phase One release Capture 1 V.7.1.3

[wlaidlaw]

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Phase One have just released their latest iteration, Capture 1 V.7.1.3. I don't think it is wishful thinking but the colours with the standard M240 ICC Profile seem to be a bit more subtle, especially reds and oranges. The magenta tinting of caucasian skin tones seems reduced as well.

 

Wilson

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[lct]

Thanks Wilson but i don't see any difference so far.

[wlaidlaw]

Thanks Wilson but i don't see any difference so far.

 

The machine I am working on at present, just had its screen calibration changed from Spyder Express 3 to Spyder Pro 4. Also that one updated straight from 7.1.1 to 7.1.3. Maybe it is one those factors that has made the difference.

 

Wilson

[lct]

I'm still using Spyder3Pro on the same Apple display and i've just developed the same DNG file with both C1 7.1.2 and 7.1.3. Makes no visual difference for me...

[Guest WPalank]

For those who are adept at both LR and Capture 1:

Is C1 really that much better. Reason being is I just won a Pro Version of C1 at a Raffle at a Phase One Presentation and really want to know if it is worth going through the entire learning curve. Especially with the M240. Thanks.

[wlaidlaw]

William,

 

To coin a phrase "it is donkey's for racetracks". In the end it probably comes down to which one you got used to and know best. There was a good comparison of C1 7 Pro, LR4 and DxO in DP Review. They came to the conclusion that there were certain things that one did better than the others but at the end of the day, it really came down to personal preference, as they were all excellent.

 

At the moment is it easier to get general colours better for the M240 on LR, as you can easily make your own dual illuminance profiles with free programs and a Gretag Macbeth chart. Making an ICC profile for C1 is FAR harder. I have been trying for the last month and have now given up. You really do need the expensive bit of software and cannot get a decent result by converting a DCP profile to an ICC then tweaking. However skin tones are easier to get right on C1 with their great skin tones tool. I am not a user of DxO so cannot comment on how good it is on the M240.

 

Wilson

[k-hawinkler]

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William,

 

I am somewhat experienced in Photoshop and a beginnder in C1.

So, often I start out in C1 and finish in Photoshop. Why?

It's easier for me to get subtle but difficult colors right in C1.

My 2 cents.

[wlaidlaw]

William,

 

I am somewhat experienced in Photoshop and a beginnder in C1.

So, often I start out in C1 and finish in Photoshop. Why?

It's easier for me to get subtle but difficult colors right in C1.

My 2 cents.

 

K-H,

 

There are lots of tools on C1, where I am not using them to full advantage. Once I get down to France later this month, where my digital darkroom is still set up (my grandson is currently using my UK one as his bedroom, while my daughter and her husband are between houses), and I can have two computer's side by side, I will watch the Phase One Image Professor. If you watch on one computer and work along with him on another, you can learn the tools much more quickly. The colour wheel is an incredibly powerful tool, if one can master all its subtleties (....soon ). I do wonder if I am wasting my money on having joined Adobe CC at its quite expensive monthly fee but having used PS since the late 1990's I like you, am very comfortable with it. C1 does do layers but not as intuitively as PS. I don't think it can do things like for example, creating a collage.

 

Wilson

[wlaidlaw]

I am always a little disappointed that there is not a single Leica lens listed in their lens correction portfolio. Now Leica might say that all their lenses are so well corrected that nothing needs to be done at the RAW convertor stage. From what I have seen of results from the 35 Summilux FLE, I am not sure that is totally true. I think that it is so sharp and contrasty, that in certain lighting conditions it is easy for it to generate Bayer pattern purple colour fringing on high contrast edges. A friend of mine has actually returned to his previous Summilux ASPH because of this problem. This is something that C1 can handle well if only it had a 35 FLE Lux profile.

 

Wilson

[erudolph]

William, I've been looking at C1 and found it has some likable features compared to LR, emphasis on "some." Highlight recovery is great. Selective color adjustments are more sophisticated. My early impression is that LR is, overall, a more thoroughly developed program. For an experienced user like you, you can probably learn enough in a few hours to begin to see the relative merits of the two programs.

 

I'm still in the 60 day demo on C1 and haven't made up my wind whether to buy. If I do, it would be used for occasional shots that I can't get right in LR.

[nggalai]

I’ve switched to Capture One after some four years of Lightroom, then switched back with Lightroom 4 – for a short time, then back to Capture One again.

 

I find I need less work in Capture One to get the “look” I expect from M9 files. Media Pro is the better DAM / library than Lightroom (for what I need a DAM to do), and I never liked Lightroom’s export plugin approach. Usability suits me better, too: more sensible keyboard shortcuts, better support for my Wacom, and I like the Sessions approach.

 

This said, it seems Lightroom is the better CMOS developer than Capture One. Wouldn’t be a big surprise if my impression were right (and not just wishful thinking); after all, Phase One’s main business is development and selling CCD digital backs. I mean, Capture One is virtually ancient, the first version (which was 2.7. Danes are weird.) came out almost exactly 12 years ago. Sure, they've updated their engines a couple of times since then, but the know-how is in CCD.

 

Anyway.

 

I’m not too sure I like the direction Phase One is taking with release 7 – catalog mode. The express version is catalog mode only, and frankly, the Capture One catalog leaves a lot to be desired. Keywording is a pain, finding duplicates or missing files not possible yet. But they’re implementing a Lightroom catalog import routine, which currently only works (beta-ish) in the Mac version. This makes me wonder about the future of Media Pro, and whether they’ll really have the resources to put all the stuff into Capture One long-time Expression Media / Media Pro users expect from their DAM.

 

But then, the IQ2 series of digital MF backs looks like a winner, and their approach of “take whatever camera you want, whatever lens you want, whatever back you want, whatever DAM you want” seems to work out just fine for them. We’ll have to wait and see.

 

That said, “whatever camera / back you want” doesn’t include too many competitors. You can use a Hasselblad camera, but digital backs aren’t supported. Phase One had a short-lived joint venture with Leica for the S2 which died burning in a heap of sorrow. The M8 used to be shipped with Capture One bundled – for a short while, it’s been Lightroom ever since.

 

Hence – Wilson, I guess the lack of Leica profiles is due to company politics. I don’t know what happened between Phase and Leica, but it probably wasn’t too pretty. I don’t believe they don’t want to support Leica at all – Monochrom support just came in two version ago, together with Typ 240 support – but it seems to be pretty low on their list of priorities. Fuji’s XTrans was supported comparatively quickly; the Monochrom only when Phase One released their own IQ2 Achromatic back which required support for true monochrome files …

 

Cheers,

-Sascha